Quiksilver is excited to announce that its recycling program — in collaboration with REPREVE® — has just hit the 100 million-bottle mark. Since its start in 2012, about 3500 tons of plastic has been repurposed into boardshorts, jackets and other garments. Recycled polyester both gives a second life to used plastic and reduces the global footprint of a product significantly.
Arguably the most environmentally impactful step of a production cycle is the creation of the raw material. Producing recycled polyester consumes significantly lower amounts of energy (45%) and water (20%) than virgin polyester. Overall, the recycled fabric produces a third less greenhouse gases than conventional polyester one.
The 100 million bottles recycled through the Quiksilver x REPREVE® program save close to 9 million liters of drinking water and provide the annual energy consumption of close to 1000 households. Each Quiksilver x REPREVE® boardshort contains about 10 recycled bottles.
Made from fossil fuels, plastic is a raw material that we encounter everyday. Only 10% of all plastic produced worldwide is currently recycled — the rest ends up in a landfill or worse, the ocean. Today, large amounts of plastic floating in the ocean are threatening both marine life and the global climate. (For more information, please click here.)
“We are very excited to contribute a part to the protection of something we genuinely care about — the ocean. As surfers and snowboarders we need to think about the future, so our grandchildren can enjoy the mountain and the wave we love so much. Up-cycling plastic waste into something that is useful for us, even today, is an important step”, says Garry Wall, Global General Manager of Quiksilver.
Quiksilver and fellow Boardriders Inc. brands Roxy and DC shoes have been using REPREVE® yarn as an essential part of their product offering for more than 5 years.
REPREVE® starts the process by turning used plastic bottles into plastic flake, which is then converted into REPREVE® chips. The chips are then melted, extruded and converted into yarn that carries the same performance qualities as conventional polyester. On average, a Quiksilver boardshort using REPREVE® yarn contains about 11 recycled bottles. Currently about 50% of the range consists of REPREVE® products. Over the next few years, the brand is committed to using 100% REPREVE® yarn in all boardshorts. The snow collection will follow suit, increasing the adoption of both REPREVE® yarn and other sustainable materials.
“Recycling is one thing, reducing another,” says Wall. “100 million bottles are a milestone, now we are working on a refined strategy to fight plastic waste through innovative products and actions. There are still many areas where we need to improve and we look forward to bringing green values into all areas of our business, a responsibility that our industry as a whole needs to assume.”
On World Surfing Day (June 16th, 2018) 10$ of every Quiksilver boardshort containing Repreve fabric will be donated to 5 Gyres, a non-profit organisation empowering action against the global health crisis of plastic pollution through science, education, and adventure.
For more information, please contact Katy Link – Quiksilver Director of PR.
A word about micro-plastic…
Research has shown that all synthetic materials — based on recycled polyester or not — contain so-called microfibers. These tiny pieces of plastic lead to another severe form of ocean pollution that can make its way through the food chain and onto our plates. Despite multiple efforts to tackle the problem at its source, there are currently no alternatives to synthetics when it comes to producing high performance products such as boardshorts and swimwear. However, there are a few measures you can take to reduce the impact of these fibres:
- Wash your synthetic fabrics less and hand-wash if possible.
- If you’re buying a new washing machine, choose a front loader — a study found it releases less microfibers.
- If you already own a washing machine, consider installing a microfiber filter. It can’t catch everything, but it can help.
- Keep your lint filter clean so that the microfiber particles that it captures end up in the trash, not the air.
- More information can be found here.
About Quiksilver
Quiksilver is the emblematic boardsports brand of Boardriders, Inc., founded by a group of surfing enthusiasts in Australia in 1969. True to a unique lifestyle, Quiksilver holds passion, authenticity and innovation as fundamental values. The brand’s identity is represented by its logo: a mountain inside a wave symbolizing its attachment to boardsports and its environments, the sea and the slopes. Quiksilver products cover the entire range of sportswear, accessories and boardsports gear. Quiksilver is also intimately associated with the very best athletes and the biggest events in the history of boardsports. More information on www.quiksilver.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for regular updates.
About REPREVE:
Made by Unifi, Inc. (NYSE:UFI), REPREVE® is the global leader in branded recycled performance fibers, transforming more than 10 billion plastic bottles into recycled fiber for new clothing, shoes,home goods and other consumer products. REPREVE is the earth-friendly solution to making consumers’ favorite brands more environmentally responsible. Found in products from many of the world’s leading brands including New Era, Levi’s, Target and Ford. REPREVE fibers can also be enhanced with Unifi’s proprietary technologies for increased performance and comfort. For more information about REPREVE, visit www.REPREVE.com, and connect with REPREVE on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. REPREVE® is a trademark of Unifi,Inc.
About 5 Gyre Institute:
Since 2008, the 5 Gyres Institute has researched plastic in all five main subtropical gyres. In 2014, the organization published the first global estimate of surface pollution, finding 5.25 trillion particles weighing in at 269,000 tons of “plastic smog” worldwide. 5 Gyres study on microbead pollution in the Great Lakes inspired a two-year collaborative campaign that culminated in the 2015 law which made these plastics illegal in the United States and inspired similar bans in other countries. In 2018, the organization will embark on its 18th expedition, to research microplastic pollution and zero-waste solutions in Indonesia. 5 Gyres is a science-to-solutions focused nonprofit dedicated to a planet free of plastic pollution. More information at www.5gyres.org.
